Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance

Annual Report 2004

Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................... 1

HIV and AIDS: Confronting the pandemic with care and action ................................................................... 2

Putting people first: Global trade campaign ................................................................................................... 7

Strengthening coalitions working for peace and conflict resolution............................................................. 10

Structuring for coordinated advocacy........................................................................................................... 11

Organizations participating in an active alliance .......................................................................................... 12

Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance Participants ................................................................................................ 13

Financial support for common advocacy...................................................................................................... 14

List of Financial Supporters in 2004............................................................................................................. 16

Published November 2005, Geneva, Switzerland

Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance
Front cover photo: Paul Jeffrey/Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance
www.e-alliance.ch

Annual Report 2004


Introduction
The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA) is built
on the conviction by churches and church-related
organizations that advocacy efforts can be made
more visible and more effective by working
together.
Since its founding in December 2000, the EAA has
coordinated advocacy efforts on HIV and AIDS and
on global trade. Peace and conflict resolution has
been an additional special concern.
In concentrating on the main issues of global trade
and HIV and AIDS through practical, action-
oriented efforts and information sharing, the EAA
has been able to broaden the church-related
advocacy networks from international ecumenical
organizations to small individual churches in
affected communities; from large church-related
agencies to national NGOs; from Roman Catholics
and Evangelicals to Orthodox and mainline
Protestants.
As a coordination point for action, the EAA has
enabled stronger partnerships with organizations
and communities of other faiths, and with
international organizations working on similar
issues.
As a new model for ecumenical cooperation, the
EAA has been invited to share in discussions of
ecumenical reconfiguration led by the World
Council of Churches, as well as contribute to
conversations around a proposed new global
ecumenical alliance for development.
sent to all participants and analyzed responses. Their
evaluation was extremely positive on what the
Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance has been able to
achieve so far, with practical recommendations that
would strengthen its networking and advocacy for
the future. The recommendations from the
evaluation were reviewed by the Ecumenical
Advocacy Committee, which in turn brought a
number of specific recommendations to the
Assembly in November.
The Assembly in Rome, hosted by Franciscans
International, overwhelmingly affirmed the EAA as
an instrument for coordinated advocacy, maintained
the two focus issues, and elected a new Ecumenical
Advocacy Committee. Participants also approved a
number of recommendations to strengthen the EAA
in the future, which are mentioned throughout this
report.
This report for 2004 demonstrates how the EAA has
encouraged and supported advocacy of various
kinds, including mass campaigns, awareness raising,
lobbying work, and local actions. This has been
done without seeking to build the EAAs own
general public visibility but by working with
participants to facilitate active sharing of resources,
ideas, and leadership.
The prophetic witness of the churches is still so
urgently needed. May this report inspire us still
further in working together for the well-being of the
world.

As representatives of churches and

related organizations, we believe that
by working together and by focusing our
efforts we will be better able to
challenge powers and principalities
which have failed to create conditions
in which all of Gods children can live in
peace, justice, and dignity.
A Covenant for Action
www.e-alliance.ch/covenant.jsp

The second Assembly of the EAA was held in

November 2004 to assess the work since its
founding and make decisions on its future direction.
An evaluation of the EAA was held in advance.
With support from Brot fr die Welt, two
consultants conducted many interviews of
participants and representatives of related
organizations, prepared a multilingual questionnaire Paul Jeffrey/Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance

Annual Report 2004 1


HIV and AIDS: Confronting
the pandemic with care and
action
The global AIDS epidemic is one of the greatest
challenges facing our generation.
Kofi Annan,
Secretary-General of the United Nations
UNAIDS estimated in 2004 that 38 million adults
and children worldwide were living with HIV, a
figure that continues to grow. Women and girls face
the greatest risk, while young people (ages 1524)
in general account for half of all new HIV infections
worldwide.
Globally, we see increasing commitment among
many governments, intergovernmental
organizations, and international organizations to
pledge resources and efforts to tackling the HIV
pandemic. Still efforts are woefully inadequate to
the global need.
The goals established by the EAAs HIV and AIDS
strategy group in the 2001-2004 Plan of Action
remain critical. Strategies implemented in 2004
have proven effective steps in the long struggle to
achieve them.
Goal 1: to urge churches to work for the dignity
and rights of people living with HIV and AIDS and
for an attitude of care and solidarity that rejects all
forms of stigmatization and discrimination.
Breaking the silence in communities particularly
faith communities is vital to overcoming the
stigma and discrimination that prevents people
affected by HIV and AIDS to receive the care they
need.
Building on the success of the 2003 Global Poster
Competition against HIV and AIDS-related Stigma
and Discrimination, which culminated in the three-
month exhibition of winning posters launched at the
United Nations building in New York on World
AIDS Day 2003, the concept and the resources
continue to be used widely and creatively. Local
competitions are still held as a way to open
discussions about the facts of AIDS and the
response of individuals and communities. Resources
provided through the contest have been used as
curriculum, for workshops, and for worship and
biblical study. UNICEF used some of the images for
a production on MTV.
Selected posters were displayed in a prime location
at the XV International AIDS Conference held in
Bangkok, Thailand in July 2004. Certainly most of
Annual Report 2004
the almost 20,000 participants of the conference had
the opportunity to view them as they walked along
the only corridor linking the two main conference
buildings, and numerous people were seen
photographing the posters. They were also displayed
in other parts of Bangkok, including on-screen in a
chain of cinemas.
The CD-ROM of the winning posters and hundreds
of multi-lingual resources had its third pressing
thanks to support from the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America. Included in the latest edition, in
Across the world, those countries that
have met with the greatest success in
reducing prevalence rates and in
supporting those already infected have
been those that have implemented a
multisectoral approach to HIV/AIDS.
Faith-based organizations are key
players for more comprehensive
responses. They have close grassroots
access to communities, which makes
them well placed for creating
awareness, mobilizing help, effecting
cultural change, and increasing
tolerance.
GNP+ promises to encourage
people living with HIV/AIDS to work
more with faith-based organizations,
and we hope that people living with
HIV/AIDS will be more and more
welcome in faith-based communities.
Stuart A. Flavell,
International Coordinator
The Global Network of People Living with
HIV/AIDS
addition to more posters and resources, is a public
service announcement for television broadcast and a
computer screensaver of selected posters also
available for free download from the EAA website.
Almost 20,000 CD-ROMs and accompanying Next
Steps brochures have been distributed.
Two full sets of the exhibition are now available for
future use, one in Geneva and one in the US, where
Church World Service has agreed to manage
requests for display in North America.
A Code of Good Practice for NGOs Responding to
HIV/AIDS was drafted in 2004 guided by a steering
committee of international organizations, including
the World Council of Churches. Through the EAA
2
strategy group, a significant effort was made to on the issue and plans to draft policy guidelines and
generate faith-based input to the drafting process, resources for clergy and couples planning to marry.
through an action alert issued to raise awareness and
Formulas like ABC that have tried to promote a
response, a special pre-meeting before the Geneva
simple approach to prevention (abstinence be
consultation with NGOs on the draft, and strong
faithful use condoms) have become flashpoints for
faith-based participation in the consultation itself.
activists and moral and ethical dilemmas for faith
Another action alert was issued in October to
communities seeking the most effective forms of
encourage signatures to the Code. A press release
prevention in complex contexts. The EAA has
issued jointly in November by the EAA and 18
encouraged space, such as through a variety of
EAA participants, all original signatories,
workshops and reports at the International AIDS
announced the faith-based commitment to the
Conference to show the diversity of positions within
principles of the Code.
the faith community while highlighting the common
Through 2004, UNAIDS worked on the report of commitment to eradicate HIV and AIDS.
the Theological Consultation on HIV and AIDS
Related Stigma held in Namibia in December 2003.
Expected in early 2005, EAA will assist with
distributing the report. You may notice our use of HIV and
AIDS rather than the more compact
After discussion by the strategy group at their May
2004 meeting, the EAA coordinator was invited to and traditional form of HIV/AIDS.
the consultation organized by St. Georges House at Separating the two terms
Windsor Castle (UK) on The Response of the acknowledges that advances in
Faiths to the AIDS Crisis. The consultation was treatment have made HIV and AIDS two
small, and was moderated by UNAIDS Director
Peter Piot. For the EAA, this was especially helpful very different (but related) conditions.
in making contact with key Muslim and Hindu With proper access to treatment and
leaders on HIV. support, people can live with HIV for
Within the EAA, there is growing sensitivity to the decades, have children who are HIV
need not to advocate for people living with HIV and negative, follow practices which
AIDS, but to work together with all those living and prevent the spread of the virus, and live
affected by HIV and AIDS, breaking down the false
life fully in their communities. When
barrier of us vs. them. EAA is committed to
greater involvement of people living with HIV and the disease progresses to AIDS, people
AIDS (the GIPA principle), including in the strategy die.
group, through development of the poster Separating the terms help us to
competition, on committees and working groups for consider more deliberately different
the International AIDS Conference, and in other
needs and approaches and tries to
projects and opportunities for collaboration with
positive networks such as ANERELA+ and ICW. overcome, at least in a small way, the
perception that HIV will always and
Goal 2: to promote HIV and AIDS prevention inevitably become AIDS and lead to
activities that address root causes of vulnerability. death.
Open discussions around issues of sex and sexuality, This is why, unless HIV/AIDS is
awareness of the special vulnerabilities of women in a published title or quote, we think a
and children, and recognition of the connection of bit on what is really meant, and the
the disease to poverty are part of the foundations for difference a / makes.
effective means of prevention.
Sometimes promoting effective means of prevention
means challenging church policies that are counter-
productive. In August, a news report that the
Anglican Church in Nigeria had established a new
policy of compulsory HIV testing before marriage
(and exclusion from marriage in the church if a
person tests positively) sparked a lively email
debate among the EAA strategy group and key
participants, and identified a gap in resource
materials. The result is a draft set of talking points

Annual Report 2004 3

Goal 3: to mobilize resources to prevent HIV and
AIDS and for care and treatment of people living
with and affected by HIV and AIDS.
Along with increasing pressure on national
governments and international organizations to
commit adequate resources to fight the HIV
pandemic in addition to tackling poverty and
supporting sustainable development as key related
issues the EAA has also advocated for appropriate
use of funds, transparency and accountability among
all organizations in their response to HIV and AIDS.
When a sick person is overwhelmed by
a life threatening condition like AIDS, of
course we must give physical relief, but
it is equally important to encourage the
spirit to live through a constant show of
love and compassionate care. It is
shameful how often we fail to see that
what people desperately require is
human affection. Deprived of human
warmth and a sense of value, other
forms of treatment prove less effective.
Message from His Holiness the Dalai Lama
to faith-based participants at the
International AIDS Conference
EAA participants have particularly advocated for
adequate funding for the Global Fund to Fight
AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The EAA also has
proven a strong coordinating point for promoting
faith-based participation in the Global Fund
processes. The EAA, through its bulletins and action
alerts have highlighted opportunities for faith-based
organizations to apply for funds, to pressure
governments to fulfill their pledges to the Global
Fund, and to be involved in the Global Fund
reflection process, such as through its Partnership
Forum in Bangkok in early July. The EAA
coordinator was invited to attend the Forum, and the
Global Fund consulted with the EAA in the process
of considering who should be invited from the faith
community. A number of EAA participants also
attend the Forum. The replenishment process for the
Global Fund is already anticipated as a major
advocacy focus for 2005.
Discussions in the second half of 2004 among the
EAA, World Council of Churches, DIFAEM and
the Ecumenical Pharmaceuticals Network, identified
a serious concern that the large global resources for
the response to HIV and AIDS are not reaching the
churches. As a result, a Global Assessment and
Strategy Session on Faith Communities Accessing
Annual Report 2004
Resources to Respond to HIV and AIDS is planned
for January 2005 at the invitation of the WCC and
Caritas Internationalis. This meeting will bring
together key global faith-based actors and major
donors to identify the barriers to accessing
resources, highlight successful models and develop
strategies to overcome the obstacles. Members of
the steering committee preparing for the meeting
include representatives of WCC, Caritas
Internationalis, DIFAEM, Norwegian Church Aid,
and the EAA.
Goal 4: to increase access to care and treatment
for people living with and affected by HIV and
AIDS.
Strengthening the capacity of local communities to
respond to the social, cultural, economic, emotional
and spiritual needs are as necessary as lobbying
intergovernmental organizations, pharmaceutical
companies and governments to increase access to
treatment.
Each year, the EAA promotes World AIDS Day
among participants at local and national levels to
expand awareness and engagement on issues related
to HIV and AIDS. In 2004, the EAA developed
worship resources, shared ideas for action and
linked participants to new resources, available
through the web, on the theme: Women, Girls, HIV
and AIDS. For the first time, EAA and UNAIDS
issued a joint action alert encouraging the faith-
based community to plan events. In Geneva, the
EAA played a key role in jointly planning a series of
events at the Ecumenical Center including worship,
speeches, film, dance, exhibits and a reception. In
addition to the EAA, the planning team brings
together UNAIDS, the International Federation of
the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the
International AIDS Society, the International Labor
Organization, UNICEF, World Health Organization,
the World Council of Churches, and the World
YWCA. The EAA also collaborated with UNAIDS
to mail out posters for World AIDS Day, as well as
the 2005 calendar.
The 3x5 campaign (3 million people in treatment by
2005) and the churches role in scaling up access to
treatment remains a major concern and priority for
the EAA. Cooperation with the World Health
Organization (WHO) and their HIV/AIDS Unit is
increasing; the EAA was well-represented at the
WHO 3x5 Initiative Global Partners Meeting in
Geneva in May, where the EAA coordinator was
asked to make the presentation on 3x5 and faith-
based organizations.
As part of the advocacy for the campaign, the EAA
has increasingly encouraged advocating for generic
and low-cost antiretroviral treatment. The issue of
patent protection for life-saving medicines was
promoted as one aspect of unjust trade that needs to
4
be addressed during the 2005 Global Week of x Robert Vitillo, Caritas Internationalis
Action on Trade.
x Sonja Weinreich, DIFAEM (German
Institute for Medical Mission)
General efforts
The EAA issued four HIV and AIDS campaign x Christoph Benn (advisor), The Global Fund
bulletins and thirteen action alerts in 2004. These to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria
issues can be seen at:
www.e-alliance.ch/newsletters.jsp A new strategy group will be appointed early in
The EAA continues to expand its networks and 2005.
cooperation among civil society organizations, such
as the International Community of Women Living
with HIV/AIDS. Collaboration with UNAIDS
continues to be mutually beneficial and effective.
The EAA coordinator serves on the International
Reference Group of the WCCs Ecumenical
HIV/AIDS Initiative in Africa (EHAIA). The
coordinator also takes part in bi-monthly meetings
of the Ecumenical Center Working Group on HIV
and AIDS which is a platform for sharing
information among the WCC, Lutheran World
Federation, YWCA, YMCA, Conference of
European Churches, World Alliance of Reformed
Churches, Action by Churches Together (ACT)
International and the EAA.
The coordinating office receives numerous visitors
and is in touch with many who want to hear about
the EAAs work, share news of their own efforts,
and discuss possible collaboration.

HIV strategy group members serving in 2004

x Canon Gideon Byamugisha, World Vision
International

x Anne-Marie Helland, Norwegian Church

Aid
Paul Jeffrey/Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance
x Manoj Kurian, World Council of Churches
Rev. Canon Gideon Byamugisha, a member of the HIV and
AIDS Strategy Group of the Alliance, addresses the IAC.
x Rebecca Larson, Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America

x Julienne Munyaneza, World Association

for Christian Communication
x Peter Okaalet, MAP International
x Anivaldo Padilla, Koinonia Presena
Ecumenica e Servio
Access for all:
The faith community responds
Religious Groups Now In Front Lines of Battle
Against AIDS announced an Associated Press
article picked up in newspapers across the world at
the time of the XV International AIDS Conference
(IAC) in Bangkok in July 2004.

x Birgitta Rubenson, Church of Sweden
x Semeda Steves, Madras Christian Council
of Social Service (MCCSS)
x Priamo Tejeda
The seemly sudden visibility of faith groups
responding to HIV and AIDS reflected an intensive
and creative effort through the Ecumenical
Advocacy Alliance to make the work of faith-based
organizations better known to civil society
organizations, policy makers, and members of the
medical community all present at this pre-eminent

Annual Report 2004 5

conference held every two years. Participants at the
XIV International AIDS Conference in Barcelona in
2002 had been dismayed not only at the lack of
awareness of the commitment and full range of
faith-based responses to the pandemic, but also by
the sometimes overt anti-religious sentiment
expressed that both highlighted areas where faith
communities need to continue to challenge
themselves and where there was ignorance about the
many different faith approaches to prevention and
care.
With the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance taking the
coordinating role, concrete objectives and a plan of
action were developed immediately after Barcelona,
relationships built with the International AIDS
Society (the organizer for the IAC), and a Global
Ecumenical Team set up to guide the overall
planning for a wide range of faith-based events.
Different organizations were asked to take the lead
for different events a model which proved
particularly effective for engaging a wide range of
groups, sharing responsibility and ensuring adequate
financing and staff support. Four advisory
committees worked on major activities: the
ecumenical pre-conference (facilitated by the
Christian Conference of Asia and Norwegian
Church Aid), the interfaith satellite session on
stigma (facilitated by the World Conference of
Religions for Peace), the interfaith exhibit
(facilitated by Catholic Relief Services), and the
Local Interfaith Committee (facilitated by the
Church of Christ in Thailand). In addition, the staff
of Norwegian Church Aid in Bangkok did a
fantastic job of supporting ecumenical planning.
The major activities included:
x An ecumenical pre-conference which was
attended by more than 300 people with an
impressive program of plenary speakers
and workshops.
x An interfaith session attended by more than
500 people which was addressed by
UNAIDS Director Peter Piot, Global Fund
Director Richard Feacham, and the
coordinator of the International AIDS
Conference, Mats Ahnlund.
x A multilingual ecumenical media team
which produced daily print, audio and
video stories available through the web, a
daily digest and a printed daily bulletin.
The team also facilitated press interviews
and a press conference.
x An interfaith exhibition with materials
from almost forty different churches and
organizations.
x A satellite session of religious leaders
speaking on stigma and discrimination
Annual Report 2004
which was moderated by Mary Robinson
(Former President of Ireland and UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights) and
attended by over 500 people.
x An Interfaith Chaplains Program and
Prayer Room at the main conference.
x Daily ecumenical caucuses.
x A plenary speaking slot for our HIV and
AIDS strategy group member, Canon
Gideon Byamugisha.
Coverage of all these events is still available at:
www.e-alliance.ch/iac_2004.jsp
In addition the EAA contributed significantly to the
planning for the Religious Leadership Program at
the Conference (two sessions) and the drafting of
the Religious Leaders Statement of Commitment.
The EAA coordinator was invited to be one of
eleven civil society representatives at the
Conference who were invited to meet with UN
Secretary General Kofi Annan, as was Dr Musimbi
Kanyoro of the World YWCA (EAA participant).
A deliberate effort spearheaded by Norwegian
Church Aid to build capacity in the faith community
to research, write and submit abstracts to the
conference reaped real benefits. This was carried out
through a step-by-step manual, training sessions,
and mentoring. In addition, the intentional
relationship building with the International AIDS
Society and the advance information sharing and
promotion through the Ecumenical Advocacy
Alliance, meant more posters and abstracts from
faith-based organizations were submitted and
accepted for presentation at the Conference.
Response to all these events from activists, civil
society organizations, international organizations
and many other participants at the conference has
been overwhelmingly positive. Faith-based
organizations have not only garnered new respect
for their work and advocacy, but now find many
new possibilities for collaboration and networking.
Planning now moves to the 2006 International AIDS
Conference to be held in Toronto, Canada. A Global
Ecumenical Team is being named and a local
planning team is already very active in laying the
foundation for logistics and local involvement. For
the 2006 conference, faith-based organizations
already have increased recognition through the
naming of Gunnar Stlsett, Bishop of Oslo (Church
of Norway) as co-chair of the IACs Leadership
Program. Stlsett was nominated by Norwegian
Church Aid with letters of support from the
Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance and the World
Conference of Religions for Peace.
6

Putting people first: Global
trade campaign
The international trading system was devised by the
rich to suit their needs; it ignores those of the poor.
Pope Paul VI
Mervin Sol Toquero/National Council of Churches in Philippines
The primary goal of the Trade for People, Not
People for Trade Campaign (2002-2005) is for the
recognition of the priority of international human
rights, social, and environmental agreements over
trade agreements and policies.
Advocacy for trade justice has a multitude of
complex layers, issues, and actors, and must involve
grassroots campaigning and international political
and legal lobbying. Agreeing on common issues and
approaches has long been problematic for both civil
society and faith-based campaigns.
The human rights approach developed by the EAA
strategy group has proven a breakthrough for many
providing a common policy direction as well as
the space for participants to develop campaigns that
make the most sense in their national and regional
contexts. The goals developed for the campaign are
far-reaching and encompass the central elements
that face the injustices of the current global trading
Annual Report 2004
system. Specific activities of the EAA address
individual goals yet many more promote the
campaign as a whole and help to coordinate actions,
facilitate information sharing, and provide resources
for advocacy to assist EAA participants in their
campaigns.
Goal 1: to advocate for the recognition of the
priority of international human rights, social, and
environmental agreements over trade agreements
and policies.
EAA participants in a variety of forums call on
governments to reflect human rights standards,
protect the environment, and work towards the
eradication of poverty in existing and new trade
agreements.
Raising awareness of the Trade for People
campaign is critical in meeting this goal.
The Trade for People campaign was promoted at the
2004 World Social Forum (16-21 January) in
Mumbai through several events, and was the
particular focus of a seminar organized by Peter
Prove, Lutheran World Federation, on behalf of the
EAA. In its networking role, the EAA took part in
the ecumenical planning team that was convened
regularly in Geneva, and the EAA took a lead role
in facilitating communications through a listserve
that included almost 300 ecumenical representatives
an effort to encourage people to plan activities
collaboratively and avoid duplication. EAA
participants, such as the World Council of
Churches, organized seminars on trade issues.
Human rights provide a language and a
legal framework that speak directly to
the key issues of global trade. The
universality of these obligations
provides a fundamental challenge to
notions of competition and efficiency
that implicitly accept that under the rule
of the global marketplace, some people
and communities may lose these basic
entitlements.
Trade for People Campaign
Plan of Action
www.e-alliance.ch/tradeplan.jsp
Also in January, the EAA coordinator, several
Strategy Group members, and Alliance participants
attended the North American Churches
Consultation on Just Trade Agreements held in
January in Stonypoint, New York. This became an
7
important platform for more coordinated work on
trade in North America by the churches which has
long been hoped for. The EAA featured
significantly in the plan of action coming out of the
consultation.
One of the key events of the Campaign during the
year was the Trade for People Campaign
Consultation, held 21-23 March at the Ecumenical
Institute at Bossey. Almost 40 people attended an
exciting program that drew on the skills and
experience of many Alliance participants. Key
outcomes were the endorsement of the Global Week
of Action in 2005, identification of essential
resources, strengthened networking, regional
strategizing, and capacity building.
We are challenged to find the simple
words that speak to people everywhere
and lead them to shout out that in
trade, people not power, not profits,
not politics - come first.
Trade for People Consultation
March 2004
Goal 2: to advocate for trade rules and practices
that further the right to food, food security for all,
and sustainable agriculture, and promote greater
self-reliance in developing countries.
EAA participants challenge trade liberalization and
privatization, the practice of dumping subsidized
production from rich countries on the markets of
poor countries, and the patenting of life and seeds.
At the same time, the campaign promotes the right
of developing countries to support and protect their
own farming systems, access for rural people to
natural resources and fair income opportunities, and
community participation in agrarian reform in
developing countries.
The conference Sustaining a Future for
Agriculture was hosted by sixteen civil society and
faith-based organizations, including the EAA, in
Geneva, Switzerland, November 15-19, 2004. It
drew over 180 diverse participants from around the
world to discuss the international dimensions of a
just and sustainable food system and to prepare for
the 2005 WTO Ministerial in Hong Kong. This was
the fourth conference of this type to be organized
since the signing of the Agreement on Agriculture
and the largest to date. In the report, participants
emphasized that alternatives to current corporate
and governmental practices need to be based on the
realization of human rights, in particular to the right
to food and an adequate standard of living.
Annual Report 2004
Goal 3: to orient global and national policies and
trade rules to ensure access for all to essential
services based on human rights principles.
In addition to advocating for the exclusion of
essential services, such as health, water and
education from trade negotiations, the Trade for
People Campaign has also specifically advocated
for wider access to essential medicines and
protection of public health that take precedence over
the protection of intellectual property rights and
patents.
Access to essential medicines has become a specific
advocacy issue in the Global Week of Action on
trade, particularly linking efforts with the EAAs
HIV and AIDS campaign.
Goal 4: to advocate for the regulation of
transnational corporations (TNCs) to ensure that
they contribute to poverty eradication, promotion
of human rights, and the protection of the
environment.
The campaign advocates for systems of binding
regulation of TNCs and other companies and
challenge corporations, through shareholder actions,
ethical investment criteria and other means, to
ensure their activities contribute to the achievement
of human rights, and to accept a framework of
national law and international regulation.
The coordinator delivered a speech in New York at
the International Conference on Voluntary Codes of
Conduct for Multinational Corporations: Promises
and Challenges in May focusing on the role of
faith-based organizations.
Goal 5: to build a movement of people within the
churches and church-related organizations to
address the issues outlined in this campaign.
Making trade issues understandable to people in
churches and communities and convincing them of
the need for action remains a fundamental challenge
to the EAA and its participants.
The EAA seeks to strengthen local and national
initiatives through worship and Biblical reflection,
advocacy resources, education and media work. For
example, briefing papers and worship resources to
support the campaign have been developed, edited,
translated and circulated.
To strengthen the churches campaigning on trade,
the global trade strategy group in March placed a
particular focus on the Global Week of Action (10-
16 April 2005) as a key opportunity for
mobilization. Action guides and worship guides in
five languages have been developed and distributed
in print versions and through the web. An option for
co-branding the publications has been picked up by
several organizations. The resources have already
8
proved to be very popular and useful. With strong x Jonah Gokova, Ecumenical Support
support and collaboration with Christian Aid, a full- Services
time intern was recruited for this effort. The
momentum building for the Global Week of Action x Beverly Keene, Dialogue 2000
promises to make it one of the high points of the
Trade for People Campaign. x Rogate Mshana, World Council of
The Trade for People petition has been another tool Churches
for grassroots campaigns, and they continue to be
used at local and national levels. Some of them x Peter Prove, The Lutheran World
come back to the coordinating office, but many Federation
more are used in national efforts. The petition is also
being promoted as an awareness raising tool for use x Maria Riley, Center of Concern
during worship at the time of the Global Week of
Action on Trade. x Christoph Stckelberger, Bread for All
As suggested by the Strategy Group, the petition has
been modified to provide an opportunity for A new strategy group will be appointed early in
religious leaders and heads of faith-based 2005.
organizations to sign on with the hope that the
signatures can be presented to the World Trade
Organization during the Global Week of Action in
2005.
Four bulletins plus a special bulletin on the World
Social Forum were distributed electronically for
the global trade campaign in 2004, along with nine
action alerts. The global trade list over 600 at the
end of 2004 - continues to grow. Bulletins and
action alerts can be seen at:
www.e-alliance.ch/newsletters.jsp
The groundwork for major efforts in 2005 has also
been laid. In addition to the Global Week of Action:
x The World Social Forum will be held in
Porto Alegre in January.
x The next G7/8 summit will be in
Gleneagles, UK in July.
x The review of the Millennium
Development Goals will be held in
September.
x The WTO ministerial conference will be
held in Hong Kong in December.
There is a clear sense that the long process of
building consensus and participation over broad
campaign issues and approaches is paying off in
active and concrete advocacy.

Global Trade strategy group members serving in

2004

x Mary Bradford, Christian Aid (replaced by

Judith Cavanagh, Christian Aid, for
maternity leave)

x Norma Dollaga, Kasimbayan (Ecumenical

Center for Development; National Council
of Churches in the Philippines)
Resource guides for the Global Week of Action on Trade
x Edward Dommen, World Alliance of
Reformed Churches

Annual Report 2004 9

Strengthening coalitions
working for peace and
conflict resolution
Peace and conflict resolution was identified as a
special concern at the EAAs founding meeting
a recognition that the tragedy of violence and
conflict is felt all over the world, exacerbates
poverty and health, and threatens life itself.
The need for peace and conflict resolution arises in
so many different forms in every region and
country. The hope has been that the EAA could help
particularly by strengthening coalitions working on
particular issues of peace, conflict resolution and
reconciliation. Limited past efforts concentrated on
providing alternative information from a faith
perspective following September 11 2001 in
cooperation with the World Council of Churches.
The EAA also issued a statement in 2003 on the
then-impending war in Iraq.
In 2004, the EAA has addressed this concern
through participating in the development of the
Global Priorities Campaign. This inter-religious
campaign aims to change global budget priorities by
reducing military spending. The EAA coordinator
now serves as vice chair of the campaign, which is
registered in the Netherlands.
The Ecumenical Advocacy Committee (EAC), the
evaluation, and the Assembly have all recognized
that the breadth of the concern, the limited resources
of the EAA, and different perceptions of priorities
for this special concern have prevented the EAA
from moving farther in meeting the goals specified
at the founding meeting.
The Assembly recognized as well the intense work
on the part of many other participants who are
engaged in specific advocacy on issues of peace and Paul Jeffrey/Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance
conflict resolution. The Assembly clarified that it is
the networking and the model of working together
in the EAA that may prove most useful for this
concern, and for other advocacy issues.
The EAC, the coordinating office and participating
organizations are encouraged to use the
relationships and experience within the Alliance to
facilitate strategic partnerships on other advocacy
issues, notably issues related to peace and conflict
resolution. Strategy groups are also encouraged to
make links between the focus issues of trade and
HIV and AIDS to issues of peace and conflict.

Annual Report 2004 10

 small coordinating office is the recognition that
Structuring for coordinated advocacy efforts on the focus issues will not be able
to expand without additional staff. With high
advocacy expectations of what can be achieved in the future,
the Assembly charged the EAC to increase the staff
capacity within financial possibilities and keeping in
The EAAs networking and coordination seems to mind the goal to maintain a light and flexible
occur through a surprisingly simple and light coordinating office. In particular, EAA participants
structure. should actively support interns, who reflect the
A strategy group for each focus issue meets twice a diversity of EAA participants, to work within the
year to develop and review progress on the plan of EAA office.
action. The Assembly expressed great appreciation to the
An Ecumenical Advocacy Committee meets at least members of the EAC who had served since the
once a year to guide the EAA at a policy level and founding meeting as they came to the end of their
oversee the programmatic work of the strategy term of service. The Assembly then elected a new
groups and the coordinating office. EAC from the nominations sent in advance from
participating organizations. One position for a
And the coordinating office of a few staff, based in person from Africa was left open for additional
the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, becomes the hub nominations, and filled early in 2005.
of implementing plans, responding to new events
and information, and promoting the Alliance and the
issues on a daily basis.
Taking advantage of all the networking tools
available, the web, email, and phone are essential
tools of the advocacy work that actively links all
these parts and all EAA participants together in
between face-to-face meetings.
Increasingly important resources of the EAA are
bulletins, which are newsletters providing
information on each focus issue, and action alerts,
which focus on one specific call to action by
Alliance participants. In 2004, these are now being
produced more regularly. The EAA issued four HIV
and AIDS campaign bulletins and thirteen action
alerts in 2004. These are sent to more than 1,200
people electronically and the number of
subscribers continues to grow. Four bulletins plus
a special bulletin on the World Social Forum were
issued for the global trade campaign in 2004, along
with nine action alerts. The global trade list includes
600 subscribers and also continues to grow rapidly.
Past issues of bulletins and action alerts can be seen
at: www.e-alliance.ch/newsletters.jsp
The EAA has been improving the website as the key
source for information about common advocacy
efforts. In promoting active use of the website, we
are witnessing growing repeat usage, while knowing
that we need to work on different language versions
as well as continually update pages and improve
navigation.
EAA staff spend significant time providing Yves Hurni/Bread for all
information about the Alliance, promoting it, and
building relationships through presentations, visits,
and campaign efforts.
Accompanying the celebration of the major
achievements and development over the past four
years enabled through this simple structure and the

Annual Report 2004 11


Organizations participating
in an active alliance
By the time of the Assembly in November 2004, the
EAA had 84 participating organizations. As
clarified by the Assembly, participating
organizations have signed the Guiding Principles for
Action and support the EAA through a financial
contribution or specific in-kind contribution that
offsets the EAA budget. Members of the EAC and
the strategy groups must come from participating
organizations.
Growth in organizations participating over the past
years has been mainly in Africa and by those most
motivated by the HIV and AIDS campaign.
However, new interest is already being generated
through the 2005 Global Week of Action on trade.
As illustrated in the chart, participation has been
particularly strong from Europe and Africa, with
international organizations also well-represented.
EAA Participating Organizations by Region
International (14)
Pacific (2)
North America (9)
Middle East (1)
Latin
America/Caribbean
(3)
Europe (25)
Annual Report 2004
While many of the participating organizations have
regional and national presence, the evaluation
conducted in 2004 highlighted the regions in which
direct participation in the EAA was low and
suggested a number of reasons: language barriers,
churches not involved in the focus issues, lack of
awareness and engagement with international
networks, among others.
Certainly there is much room for growth, and efforts
to provide more material in languages other than
English, to more intentionally include
representatives from key regions in activities, and to
work on models for regional expressions of the
EAA, have been identified by the Assembly as vital
tasks for the EAC, strategy groups, and office.
But the value of participants in the EAA is not just
in numbers, it is each organizations active
engagement in the issues, sharing advocacy ideas
and organizational plans, contributing analysis and
support, picking up advocacy messages and actions
that amplify each campaign. As a network, the EAA
increases in value as each organization takes an
active role.
Africa (20)
Asia (7)
Australia/New
Zealand (3)
12
Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance Participants
Action Chrtienne pour la Paix et la Justice,
Conseil Oecumnique des Eglises Chrtiennes du
Congo
African Christian Homes and Rehabilitation
Center
All Africa Conference of Churches
Anglican Church of Kenya
Angolan Action for Supporting Widows
APRODEV
Australian Lutheran World Service
Brot fr Alle (Bread for All)
Brot fr die Welt
Canadian Lutheran World Relief
Center of Concern
CESE
Charisecours
Christian Aid
Christian Conference of Asia
Christian Council of Tanzania
Christian World Service
Church of Norway
Church of Scotland
Church of Sweden
Church World Service
CIDSE (Coopration Internationale pour le
Dveloppement et la Solidarit)
Conference of European Churches
Conseil National des Eglises du Burundi
Consejo de Iglesias Evangelicas de Guinea
Ecuatorial
Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias
Council of Churches of Malaysia
DanChurchAid
Deutsches Institut fr rztliche Mission
(DIFAEM)
Economic Justice Network of FOCCISA
Ecumenical Humanitarian Organization
Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network
Eglise du Christ au Congo
Eglise Evanglique du Salut
Ekumenick akademie Praha
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Evangelischer Arbeitskreis fr Weltmission
(EAWM)
Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (EED)
Evangelisches Missionswerk in Deutschland
(EMW)
FASE
Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in
West Africa (FECCIWA)
Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in
the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa
(FECCLAHA)
Femme Berceau de lAbondance
FinnChurchAid
Franciscans International
Gereja Kristen Protestan Simalungun
HEKS/EPER (Swiss Interchurch Aid)
ICCO
Annual Report 2004
International Voluntary Association Saints
Methodius and Cyrill Christian Educational
Center, Belarus Orthodox Church
Iona Community
Kerkinactie
Kindernothilfe
The Lutheran World Federation
Lutheran World Relief
Madras Christian Council of Social Service
(MCCSS)
MAP International
Middle East Council of Churches
Ministre ImanEnda (Ministre pastoral auprs
de personnes avec handicap)
Myanmar Baptist Convention
Namirembe Diocese, Church of Uganda
National Council of Churches in the Philippines
NCCA Christian World Service
Nordelbisches Missionszentrum (Northelbian
Centre for World Mission and Church World
Service of the Northelbian Evangelical Lutheran
Church)
Norwegian Church Aid
Pastoral Ecumnica con y Solidaria las Personas
que Viven con VIH/SIDA
Pax Christi International
Presbyterian Church of Korea
Presbyterian World Service and Development
Solomon Islands Christian Association
South African Council of Churches
St. Pauls United Theological College
Sudan Council of Churches
Tonga Human Rights and Democracy Movement
Union Chrtienne Face la Sant
The United Church of Canada
United Church of Christ Wider Church
Ministries
United Evangelical Mission
Washington Office on Africa
World Alliance of Reformed Churches
World Alliance of YMCAs
World Association for Christian Communication
World Council of Churches
World Student Christian Federation
World Vision
World Young Women's Christian Association
(World YWCA)
13
Financial support for common advocacy
The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance began the year with an opening balance of CHF 94,815.73.
Income totalled CHF 625,275.52 and expense CHF 632,933.54. The year end balance was CHF
87,157.71, some of which was designated funds.

Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance

Income and Expenses 2000-2004

CHF 800,000
CHF 736,320
CHF 632,934
CHF 625,276
CHF 600,000
CHF 535,998
Amount (CHF)

CHF 425,451
CHF 413,123 CHF 447,801
CHF 400,000
CHF 323,527

CHF 200,000
CHF 71,009
CHF 64,407

CHF 0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Year

Total all income Total all expenses

EAA Sources of Income 2004

EAA Participating
APRODEV agencies
73%

EAA Participating
CANZUS agencies
16%

Other EAA
Others Participants
4% 7%

As the chart demonstrates, the majority of funding comes from organizations that are part of the
Association of World Council of Churches Related Development Organizations in Europe
(APRODEV). The CANZUS agencies consist of similar church organizations and specialized
ministries in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the US.

Annual Report 2004 14

 In 2004, core budget expenses included personnel and all operating costs. Beginning in 2005,
these costs will be allocated to more accurately reflect how such resources are used related to EAA
campaigns. Year end balances of funds designated to specific activities (e.g. Week of Action on
Trade), are applied to that activity in the following year since some initiatives are not so easily
begun and ended within a calendar year.

EAA 2004 Income by Designation

EAA Undesignated
65%

HIV and AIDS

Campaign
1%<

International AIDS
Conference
13%

HIV Poster
Competition
4%
Global Trade Week of Action on
Campaign Trade
4% 14%

EAA 2004 Expense by Activity

Core Budget EA Committee

58% 2%
HIV and AIDS
Campaign
2%

International AIDS
Conference
11%

HIV Poster
Competition
Global Trade 10%
Week of Action on
Campaign
Trade
5%
12%

The audited accounts of the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance are available upon request to
info@e-alliance.ch

Annual Report 2004 15

List of Financial Supporters in 2004
African Christian Homes and Rehabilitation Center
All Africa Conference of Churches
Angolan Action for Supporting Widows
APRODEV
Australian Lutheran World Service
Brot fr Alle (Bread for All)
Brot fr die Welt
Canadian Lutheran World Relief
CESE
Christian Aid
Christian Conference of Asia
Christian World Service
Church of Scotland
Church of Sweden
Church World Service
CIDSE (Coopration Internationale pour le Dveloppement et la Solidarit)
Conference of European Churches
DanChurchAid
Deutsches Institut fr rztliche Mission (DIFAEM)
Economic Justice Network of FOCCISA
Ecumenical Humanitarian Organization
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Evangelischer Arbeitskreis fr Weltmission (EAWM)
Evangelisches Missionswerk in Deutschland (EMW)
FASE
Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in West Africa (FECCIWA)
FinnChurchAid
Franciscans International
HEKS/EPER (Swiss Interchurch Aid)
ICCO
Kerkinactie
Kindernothilfe
The Lutheran World Federation
Lutheran World Relief
MAP International
National Council of Churches in the Philippines
NCCA Christian World Service
NetMediaOne
Nordelbisches Missionszentrum (Northelbian Centre for World Mission and Church World Service of the
Northelbian Evangelical Lutheran Church)
Norwegian Church Aid
Pastoral Ecumnica con y Solidaria las Personas que Viven con VIH/SIDA
Pax Christi International
Presbyterian World Service and Development
Presentation Sisters, "Nagle Community"
South African Council of Churches
Mandy Tibbey
UNAIDS
UNICEF
The United Church of Canada
United Church of Christ Wider Church Ministries
United Evangelical Mission
United Methodist Committee on Relief
World Alliance of Reformed Churches
World Association for Christian Communication
World Conference of Religions for Peace International
World Council of Churches
World Student Christian Federation
World Vision
World Young Women's Christian Association (World YWCA)

Annual Report 2004 16

Ecumenical Advocacy Committee for 2004
x Baffour Amoa,
Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in West Africa (FECCIWA)

x Cornelia Fllkrug-Weitzel,
Brot fr die Welt

x Antoine Haddad,
Middle East Council of Churches

x Linda Hartke,
Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance

x Genevive Jacques,
World Council of Churches

x Musimbi Kanyoro,
World YWCA

x Seong-Won Park,
World Alliance of Reformed Churches

x John Quigley, OFM,

Franciscans International

x Sheila Stuart,
Caribbean Human Rights Network